ninja of midnight
by kunoichi with katanas
Summary: mikey doesn't feel as if he belongs...will he ever find a place to be happy? or will he forever be haunted by his misery? rated T for violence.
1. Chapter 1

**hey! so this is my first fanfiction, so bear with me. I am a huge fan of tmnt, and wish I knew them, but, sadly, I don't live in new York. :'( all reviews are welcome and appreciated, as they make me feel like I did something good...**

**disclaimer: I had a dream that I once owned the turtles, but sadly, that is just what it was, a dream.**

NINJA OF MIDNIGHT

It was around 3:00am when Michelangelo returned to the farmhouse. Raphael was still brimming with fury that Leo had run off on his own to train.

"What were you thinking bro?! You know very well you're not healed yet!"

"I-I just hate feeling so useless so…so helpless."

Leonardo's voice was filled with sadness when he responded to Raph's angry scolding.

"Whoa! Calm down Raph! Easy! He's healing really well, there's nothing wrong with some basic training!"

Donnie said soothingly.

"Basic training?! BASIC TRAINING?! You should have seen the backflips this guy was doing! That was not BASIC TRAINING!"

Raph was yelling so loudly now that his voice cracked.

"Whoa dudes, chill! Leo, we all know you want to train again, but, come on dude! It's 3:00 in the morning, not the best time for training. You should be shellaxing, eating pizza, watching Crognard the barbarian, and eating more pizza! *gasp* I just blew your minds right?"

Nodding with a scornful expression on his face, Mikey looked around at his brothers, all of which were staring at him as if he had just sprouted rabbit ears.

"What, that would be awesome!

"O-okay then. But seriously, Leo, until you get stronger, only basic training for you!"

Donnie had taken on a stern voice he only used when he found Mikey trying to eat moldy pizza.

"So maybe someone can help me train?"

Leo's voice was hopeful as he addressed Donatello.

"Well I-"

"I'll do it!"

Mikey didn't know what inspired him to say this, but as soon as he said it Raph started laughing. He laughed so hard he fell out of the easy chair he was sitting in.

"Y-you, t-t-training L-Leo?"

Still laughing Raph could hardly get the question out before he fell over again. Mikey glared around at his brothers. Leo was looking uncomfortable, while Donnie was looking thoughtful.

"I knew it! You guys never take me seri-"

"Now hold up there Mikey."

Donnie held up his hand to silence Mikey's angry outburst.

"That's actually not a bad idea."

"W-wait, what?"

Raphael had stopped laughing now but only to glare at his genius brother.

"Mikey, training Leo?! You're supposed to be a genius!"

Mikey was stung by Raph's harsh comment. Did he really think he was too bad to help his own brother? _I'll show them._ He thought savagely. He was ripped from his thoughts when he heard Leo say,

"I would love nothing more than that."

Mikey smiled, at least one brother still believed in him.


	2. ninja of midnight 2

**Disclaimer: I wish I owned 'em!**

Raphael could hardly believe his ears when he heard Donnie agreeing with Mikey. He hardly registered what he said but when he looked up at Mikey he saw him glaring at the floor with tears in his eyes. Feeling horrible Raph made a move to go and comfort him when he felt a hand on his shoulder and Donnie's voice whispering in his ear,

"Think about it, Mikey can help Leo until he gets stronger, He'll take the weakest and slowly work his way up to your level. Until then, Mikey will have to help him."

Giving Raph a small smile, he walked off to whisper something to Leo, who was staring at Raph with a horrified expression on his face. _What did I say?_ He thought. He watched as Leo's face slowly became a grin. Turning to Mikey he said,

"I would love nothing more than that."

Raph turned to Mikey in time to see him look up and smile at Leo with his eyes still full of tears. Leo turned and glared at Raph.

"Why did you say that?!"

"What did I say?!"

"Oh you know very well what you said."

Leo glared at Raph for a few seconds more before turning to the now crying Mikey.

"Come on Mikey, let's go train."


	3. ninja of midnight 3

**hey, so I am sorry these chapters are so short, but i'll tell you what if I get 100 reviews, I will upload five more chapters! five! so review!**

**disclaimer: notta, nope, definitely not mine.**

As Leo pulled the sobbing Mikey to the door he barely noticed that it was already opening. He was so enraged at what Raph had said that he almost walked right into April and Casey as they walked into the house, laden down with groceries.

"Whoa! Leo, what is going on?! Why is Mikey crying?! And why does Raph look so confused?!"

April's flood of questions brought Leo back to the present.

"Donnie, you explain."

Putting his arm around the still sobbing Mikey's shoulders, he guided him away from the door and into the woods to a quiet glade he had found that night.

"Mikey, what's wrong? Is it what Raph said?"

Leo said kindly.

"_NO,"_ Mikey said sarcastically, "I-I j-just miss the p-pizza man. What do y-you _th-think!_"

Mikey was very obviously angry at this point.

"Oh Mikey, you know he was just kidding."

Leo said gently.

"Stop l-lying to me! Y-you know that is-isn't true! Y-you guys d-don't respect m-me, y-you don't th-think I can do an-anything right! T-tell me the truth Leo, I'm s-sick of lies."

Mikey was sobbing while he stated this, but still managed to pull off a powerful glare. All the time Mikey was talking Leo felt a tidal wave of guilt building up inside his stomach. Not knowing what to say he simply stared at Mikey, dumbfounded. He watched as Mikey's face went from angry to horrified.

"No d-don't answer th-that Leo, I-I know what your answer would be."

Suddenly he turned and sprinted off into the woods.

"Mikey! Wait! Come back! That's not what I meant! Come back!"

Leo started to run after him, but a sharp pain in his leg made him stop. Cursing Shredder, he made one last call for Mikey before turning and limping home.


	4. Chapter 4

**disclaimer: the turtles are, sadly, not mine.**

Donnie was explaining what had happened to April and Casey when Leo charged into the house and limped as fast as he could towards Raph.

"How could you say that?! And to your own brother!"

Leo was panting very hard; it was obvious run as fast as he could from the training session with Mikey. It was only when this thought crossed his mind that he noticed something was missing.

"Hey guys…"

He couldn't make himself heard over the yelling that Leo and Raph were doing.

"Guys…"

Still yelling, neither of them had heard him.

"GUYS!"

"WHAT?!"

"Where's Mikey?"

He watched as Raph's face paled and Leo turned to glare at him again.

"He ran into the woods and disappeared, all because you insulted him so badly Raph! I tried calling him back, but he wouldn't listen!"

Leo was now glaring at with tears in his eyes and his hands curled into fists.

"W-what?"

Raph sounded confused and angry. Leo rolled his eyes.

"You know the insult you threw at him that made him cry?"

"No, I don't know."

Raph seemed to be getting more confused by the moment.

"Sure you don't . of course you don't remember calling your little bro a worthless piece of junk who shouldn't be able to help his big bro. because that's not a big deal."

"I-I said that?"

Raph's voice was filled with disbelief and horror.

"Yes Raph y-"

Leo began, but Donnie cut him off before he could finish his sentence.

"I'll handle this Leo."

Donnie was determined to break the new's gentler then Leo would have done. Leo and Donnie glared at each other a few moments more before Leo gave Donnie a nod of assent. Satisfied, Donnie began to tell Raph what had happened. As he told the story he could see Raph becoming more and more horrified with every word he spoke. He turned to see that April had dropped into Mikey's favorite spot and was looking at it with wide eyes. While Casey was looking at Raph with a psychotic expression on his face, as if he couldn't decide whether to laugh, cry, or scream.

"I-I can't believe he's gone."

April said despairingly. Casey glanced at her.

"It's okay, he'll come back. He always does."


	5. Chapter 5

**disclaimer: can I, like, buy the turtles from nickelodeon?**

"I'm never going back."

Mikey said to himself.

"Ever."

Scowling, he started climbing a tree.

"I'm gonna make a camp at the very top of the tallest tree in the forest."

Reaching the top of the tree he was climbing, he looked around and saw the farmhouse and its whole yard. Squinting against the glare of the sun, he could see his brothers walking into the forest in the direction he had taken. They disappeared as the darkness swallowed them. Leaning against the trunk of the tree he had taken refuge in he thought about how his brothers must be reacting. Leo would feel responsible, that was for sure, Raph would just shrug it off, and more likely than not, Donnie would find some invention to distract him. Suddenly he stopped thinking. Was that Raph's voice? What was he saying? Mikey listened closer. It sounded like he was calling his name. _No _he thought,_ Raph would never do that. _But he couldn't stop himself from leaning farther from the trunk of the tree just to make sure. Suddenly he heard an ominous creak. _Uh-oh. _He thought, he looked down to see just how far he had to fall. Pretty far, 50ft, at least. The creak came again. _No, no, please no. _suddenly the branch gave way under his feet.

"_Leoooooooooooooooooooo!"_

He screamed, as he was sent, crashing, to the ground.


	6. Chapter 6

**come on! get those reviews in!**

**disclaimer: the turtles are not mine, and never will be. :'(**

Leo was sick with worry; he and his brothers had been searching for what seemed like hours. He was beginning to give up. So they went back to the farmhouse for a snack and bathroom break.

"We may as well give up. He's gone."

Raph's voice was heavy with disappointment.

"_NO!_ I will never give up on Mikey! He knows what I'm going through! He CARES! He's my little bro, you may have given up on him, Raph, but I haven't."

With a final glare at his brothers, April, and Casey, he turned and stormed out of the farmhouse so that he could sit in the cool evening air and calm down.

"Oh, Mikey, where are you?"

He whispered into the night. Hearing footsteps behind him, he spun around and found himself face to face with his companions.

"Look, Leo, we've been thinking about what you said, and you're right. There's still hope. So let's go find Mikey."

Raph's tone was so different than what it was before that Leo couldn't help but wonder if he actually meant it.

"Okay, let's go."

They set off into the forest, calling Mikey's name, taking breaks between each round to catch their breath and listen for a reply. It was during one of these breaks that Leo heard a creak echo through the forest. Pausing to look around, they heard the creak again, this time followed by a crack. Then a scream ripped through the silent forest.

"_Leooooooooooooooooooooo!" _

There was a sickening thud. Followed by a silence that pointed toward the worst.

"That was Mikey! _Mikeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey! _Don't worry bro! We're coming! Hold on! Stay put! Where are you?!"

Leo's voice was desperate as he yelled through the forest. Raph looked at him with worry in his eyes.

"It came from that way!"

April and Casey were already sprinting off into the woods in the direction the scream had come from. April looked back once before yelling

"Come on! We've got to help him!"


	7. Chapter 7

**so...sorry it is taking so long, but I have been really busy. and the sad thing is, I have nearly 20 more chapters in my notebook, but I cant update for a while, ill try to before new years, maybe? see the little thing on the bottom that says review? click it. now, see the buttons on your keyboard? push them. maybe they'll turn into words. then click 'post review.' by the way, to the warrior cats fans out there, I am going to start a new warriors fanfic, so i'll keep you posted!**

**disclaimer: all I own of the turtles is a plush Leo...**

As Raph ran through the forest his mind was a chaotic whirlpool of worry and guilt. He couldn't stop thinking about what Donnie had told him, about the insult he had thrown at Mikey.

"Oh Mikey, please be alright."

He whispered as he ran. Suddenly he heard a yell,

"Over here! Mikey's mask!"

As Raph heard this hope sparked in his heart. He ran to the place the yell had come from and found Leo with Donnie standing at his side. Leo was holding Mikey's mask to his chest. Raph leaned over and took the mask from him.

"Leo…I'm-I'm sorry."

Raph's voice was heavy with guilt and grief.

"It's fine Raph…he…It's not okay. I miss you Mikey, I'm sorry. Please come back to us."

"Guys! Guys! Over here! There's an imprint in the ground the same size and shape as Mikey's shell under this tree!"

Raph looked around to see Donnie standing under a tree some 10ft away. Looking at the ground, he saw a shape in the ground that really looked like Mikey's shell.

"D-do you think it could be him?"

Leo's voice was filled with hope as he addressed Donatello.

"I don't know Leo, I hope it is, but I just don't know."

Donnie gazed at the ground as he spoke. Raph felt tears stinging his eyes. _I am not going to cry! _ But he couldn't stop the tears from falling. He curled his hands into fists, still holding Mikey's orange mask, and squeezed his eyes shut. But couldn't stop himself from crumbling to the ground with a cry of grief.

"Yo, dude, calm down. He'll come back, you'll see."

Casey's brave words didn't stop the tears from rolling down his face. Raph's shoulders shook as he let out all his pent up misery to the ground. April was sitting against a tree, sobbing. Donnie had tears filling his eyes before he, too, fell to the ground in misery. Casey went to go comfort April, but ended up sitting next to her with tears slowly leaking out of his eyes. The only one left standing was Leo, who was gazing up at the trees with sadness in his eyes. Suddenly he let out one grief filled cry before he jumped into a tree and sat down in the fork of a branch.


	8. Chapter 8

Mikey sat about half-way up a tree, rubbing his bruised and battered body while watching his brothers find the dent his shell had made in the ground. He had purposefully taken off his mask and placed it about 10 yards from where he had landed so they would find it and he could see how they reacted. suddenly, like a domino effect, Raph and Donnie, in turn, fell to the ground. Leo, however, stood still and stared at the ground. Then Mikey heard a whisper.

"oh Mikey, why did you have to leave?"

Leo leaned down and took Mikeys bandana from Raph. Then he jumped into the tree Mikey was in and lay down in the fork of two branches to start sobbing. Mikey felt guilt building in his chest, only to be replaced by anger, then guilt again. He could trust Leo with his plans, right? _no._ a small voice inside him insisted. _you cannot trust him. _Mikey felt the rage returning to his chest. he took a deep breath to calm down. he had to play it cool, for now.

"psssssst!"

Leo looked up at Mikeys whisper. his eyes were red and puffy, he had obviously been crying.

"psssssssssst!"

he called again,

"Over here! Leo!"

Leo's kind face had broken into a hopeful grin. He started climbing the tree. Mikey reached out to grab a thick, heavy branch and held it behind his back. Leo was almost were Mikey could reach him.

"Where have you been? Are you okay? You obviously fell pretty hard."

Leo's voice was concerned. He was nearly where Mikey could reach him now.

"Oh, you know, I'm a little sore, but nothing I can't handle."

Mikey tried to make his voice as casual as he could.

"Are you sure? You look a li-"

Leo's voice was abruptly cut off as Mikey brought the branch crashing down on his head.


	9. Chapter 9

**So I've been debating whether I should keep going or not on this story. So I put a poll on my profile. Please go answer it. I promise I won't be offended if you say no.**

**Disclaimer: since when does someone like me own the turtles?**

Donnie woke up to a pain filled cry in the middle of the night. Sighing with frustration and worry, he got up and went to Leo's room. The forest green turtle was thrashing around in his bed, tangling himself in his sheets and only increasing his pain. Donnie sighed once more before he went to help Leo calm down. Looking at the large purple bump on Leo's head he remembered when they had found him.

~_flashback~_

_Donnie was ripped from his small world at the sound of crashing and grunting echoing through the forest. Sitting up, he saw Leo lying under a tree with a large bump on his head._

"_Guys! Get over here! Leo's hurt! Well, more than he already was. But still! Hurry!"_

_That got Raph's attention. He jumped up and ran to Leo's side before you could say 'turtle'. His eyes were red and swollen; it was obviously he had been crying. Donnie looked up to see how far Leo had fallen when he saw a figure sprinting through the trees. It looked awfully like…Mikey!_

"_Will he be okay?"_

_April's anxious question brought him back to his senses._

"_Yes, I think so. Listen April, Casey, I think I saw Mikey over there! Go get him! He was in the trees!"_

_April looked at him for a moment before she nodded and ran._

"_Whoa! Red, wait for me!"_

_Casey yelled before running after her._

"_Okay, Raph, I need you to help me get him back to the farmhouse."_

_Donnie didn't look at Raph while he spoke, but he could feel his gaze boring into him._

"_Did you really see Mikey?"_

_He asked hopefully._

"_I think so, now hurry! We have to get him home!"_

_They had gotten Leo home not long after. April and Casey hadn't returned for two hours, but when they did they brought a message with grief and rage, hope and despair, all at once._

"_We didn't catch him, but we got close enough to see that it was Mikey. We also found a message in the tree where Leo fell it said 'you're next'_

_April was shaking so hard now Donnie was afraid she would fall over, proving just how real this was._

_~end of flashback~_

A sudden groan from Leo ripped him from his thoughts; He walked over to Leo's side and gave him an once-over. He hadn't dared to do it before now for fear of harming Leonardo more than helping him, but now he felt it was safe.

"Oh Leo, why would Mikey do this to you?"

He gave Leo another dose of pain medication before he went back to bed. Two hours later he was still awake. _Well, now's as good a time as any to look for Mikey. _He thought. But he couldn't get himself to get up. A sudden crash from the kitchen made him sit straight up. _What was that? _slowly he stood up, grabbed his bo staff, and headed for the kitchen.

**ooh, what's next? I don't remember! to the notebook!**


	10. Chapter 10

**thanks to all those who reviewed! it really makes my day when I get a good review. if you have at advice, please let me know! don't forget to vote on my poll**

**disclaimer: i don't own the turtles.**

Raph woke in the middle of the middle of the night to a crashing noise coming from the kitchen. quickly he grabbed his sais and ran out of his room, only to bump into something in the hall.

"Aaa-"

His scream was cut off by a hand slapping over his mouth. He heard Donnie's voice whispering in his non-existent ear.

"Shh! Do you want to scare it away ?!"

Raph glared at him and shook his head.

"Follow me then."

Donnie's voice was trembling a little as he gave his order. Raph bowed and rolled his eyes, as if to say, _yes, oh wise and powerful leader. _Seeing Donnie glaring at him, Raph felt a small sense of accomplishment with himself. Grinning, he started creeping down the stairs. When he reached the bottom, he slowly peered around the corner to see…a raccoon.

"Hmff, I thought it was…"

Raph's voice trailed off as he looked at Donnie. No more words had to be said. Donnie understood perfectly.

"Me too."

Suddenly, April's voice rang through the now silent house, except for the dry squeaks and scratches the raccoon was making.

"What's going on?"

Raph looked up to see her standing at the top of the stairs in pink camo pajamas. Raph looked at Donnie to see if he was going to explain, but he was staring April with wide eyes. Raph rolled his eyes and let out an exasperated sigh before mumbling,

"perv."

Then he explained to April what had happened.

"We heard a noise, so we came down to investigate. It was just a raccoon, though."

April looked confuse as to why Raph sounded so disappointed. So he explained.

"We thought it was Mikey."

Donnie was still staring at April, who was beginning to look uncomfortable.

"Anywho, Donnie, I think you should take a look at Leo. He's been thrashing around and groaning for the past ten minutes."

April said worriedly. Donnie gave her one look of despair before rushing upstairs to their elder brother.

"I guess I should probably get this guy outside again. You should go to bed."

Raph said gruffly, nudging the raccoon with his foot. it looked up at him with a ferocious hiss.

"Well he's a feisty one ain't he? I am very tired Raph, I think I will go back to bed. Thanks."

Rap watched April walk down the hall and into her room. As soon as he heard the door click shut behind her, he turned to the raccoon, who looked up and snarled at him. Raphael sighed.

'Come on feisty."

He stooped down and picked up the raccoon, ignoring the scratches and bites it gave him. As he walked towards the door, his thoughts were whirling around like a hurricane. _How did this raccoon get in? Where did it come from? _His thoughts were interrupted as h stepped in something warm and sticky. Looking down, he saw a slice of cheese pizza stuck to his foot. He reached down and pulled it off. Reaching the door, he opened it and went outside in the dark. He put the raccoon down and watched it scamper off into the woods. Then, with the sound of breaking glass, the porch light went out. Raphael groaned. _Great, another broken lightbulb. _Suddenly, a hand clamped over his mouth, and A muscular arm pinned his hands behind his back. Raph started to scream when a voice whispered in his ear, silencing him.

"You scream, and I _will_ kill you."

Mikey!

HAHA! I can just see your faces! love it!


	11. Chapter 11

**Thank you for standing by me and reviewing! Special thanks to: bookworm563, .7, starscream36, Lizzy Pheonix, and MrsRae for your support.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of tmnt or anything related to it.**

Leo let out a groan. The throbbing in his head was nothing compared to the ache in his heart. He felt a gentle hand place a cool washrag on his forehead. _Who's doing that? _Leo blinked open his eyes and saw Donnie's worried face leaning over him. Before he could notice his older brother awake again, he turned and went back to his computer. Leo looked around for a few moments before he turned back to his younger brother, who was still messing around on his computer.

"D-Donnie?"

His voice sounded small and weak, yet Donnie whipped around at the sound.

"Leo!"

Donnie's face broke into a wide smile.

"W-what happened?"

"We don't know, after we found the dent in the ground and Mikey's mask, Raph and I started crying and fell. You jumped into a tree and sat down, staring at the mask. After that I don't know, I just remember crashing and grunting. Finding you under that tree was the hardest part."

At those words, those three little words, it all came flooding back to Leo. _Under that tree._ How could those three little words cause the ache in his heart to grow stronger? His memories to grow more painful? _Mikey._

"Where's Mikey?"

Leo asked cautiously. Donnie stared at him.

"Oh shell, you don't remember? Wow that concussion must be worse than I thought."

"He's still gone?"

Leo's voice was filled with disbelief and pain.

"Yeah, he is. I'm so sorry Leo."

Donnie whispered softly.

"D-do you remember how you fell out of the tree?"

Donnie asked. Leo stared at him for a moment before answering.

"I-I think Mikey hit me over the head with a branch.'

Donnie stared at Leo, dumbstruck.

"Where's Raph? I want to talk to him."

Donnie was still staring at Leo like he had fallen from the sky.

"Hmm? Oh, we found a raccoon in the kitchen. He's taking it back to the forest."

Donnie finally tore his gaze from his eldest brother and glanced at the clock.

"That was twenty minutes ago though. I don't know what's taking him so long."

At those words Leo's stomach filled with dread. He glanced at the door.

"What's wrong Leo?"

Donnie asked him anxiously. Leo looked back at his younger brother.

"I don't know. But whatever it is, it's not good."


End file.
